Families near Salt Creek Elementary School in southwest Elmhurst learned Monday, July 20, that a 140,000-square-foot industrial warehouse will replace the Clarion Inn next door, after the City Council voted 12-1 to approve the project over strong opposition from parents and residents who warned of truck traffic, noise, and air pollution.

The warehouse's loading docks will sit roughly 700 feet from the school building. Alliance Industrial Partners, LLC, a Houston-based developer led by Managing Director Cory Welper, plans to market the building to light manufacturers and showroom tenants beginning in 2029 or 2030.

Ward 7 Alderman Rex Irby cast the lone no vote. Ward 4 Alderwoman Noel Talluto was absent.

Residents push back, aldermen vote yes anyway

Resident Mark Drysch told the council the site is "not a typical industrial zone" and warned that a building this size would worsen traffic, noise, and air quality near the school. Resident Frank Vasquez called the approval a "multi-decade failure of our civic institutions" to invest in the area.

Multiple aldermen who voted yes acknowledged discomfort. Ward 5 Alderman Dan Virgil said he does not believe industrial use is good for the site but that the zoning code classifies it as industrial. Ward 3 Alderman Michael Bram said he would not want a warehouse replacing a hotel if he lived nearby, but voted to approve.

Ward 7 Alderman Mike Brennan, who represents the neighborhood, said he pushed for conditions behind the scenes. Irby, the dissenter, questioned whether the council was working backward, asking "Does this warehouse belong here at all?"

Conditions attached to approval

The approved plan allows up to 28 truck docks, reduced from an original 32, with only 14 built initially. The city's traffic analysis projects about 62 truck trips per day. Ward 3 Alderman Chris Jensen, who chaired the reviewing committee, cited state data showing 5,500 trucks already travel Route 83 daily and argued the highway is the dominant emissions concern for the school, not a warehouse 700 feet away.

Nine conditions are attached, according to the city's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee report: all trucks must turn right onto Riverside Drive (no left turns onto Van Buren), Dark Sky-compliant lighting is required, trailer parking and cross docks are banned, and a deed restriction prohibits use as a detention center. The developer also added a 50-by-50-foot bump-out on the building's southeast corner to buffer sound and sight lines toward the school.

Environmental cleanup and timeline

No demolition can begin until the Illinois EPA approves a Remedial Action Plan for the contaminated site. Soil and groundwater samples have revealed petroleum, arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals, according to the committee report. The developer must obtain a No Further Remediation letter from the IEPA before a certificate of occupancy can be issued.

The city estimates the project will generate approximately $128,000 annually in property tax revenue, primarily benefiting School District 48, the Elmhurst Park District, and the Elmhurst Public Library.

Separately, the city has secured $2.7 million in grants for reconstruction of the nearby Route 83/Monroe/Riverside intersection, known locally as "The Bulb," which currently operates at a failing Level of Service F in the evening. Phase 1 engineering is underway, with construction anticipated in late 2028 or 2029.